What Regenerative Agriculture Actually Means on an Alberta Ranch
Tim Adekola
President & Founder
Cover cropping, rotational grazing, composting — these are not buzzwords at Adesco. They are the daily practices that keep our land healthy and our community fed.
Beyond Organic
Regenerative agriculture is often described as a step beyond organic farming — but what does that actually look like on the ground? At Adesco Western Ranch, it means actively rebuilding soil health rather than simply avoiding harmful inputs. Every practice on the farm is evaluated against one question: does this leave the land in better condition than we found it?
Rotational Grazing in Practice
Our livestock move through a series of paddocks on a planned rotation, giving each section of pasture time to recover and regrow before the animals return. This mimics the natural movement patterns of wild herds and prevents the overgrazing that degrades soil structure and increases erosion. Well-managed grasslands also sequester significant amounts of carbon in their root systems.
Cover Crops and Soil Biology
Between production seasons, Adesco plants diverse cover crop mixes — combinations of legumes, grasses, and brassicas — that fix nitrogen, prevent erosion, and feed the soil microbiome. Healthy soil biology is the foundation of everything: it drives nutrient cycling, water retention, and plant resilience. Without it, no amount of inputs can sustain long-term productivity.
Composting and Closed Loops
Animal waste, crop residues, and kitchen scraps from the ranch operation are composted on-site and returned to the fields as finished compost. This closed-loop approach reduces our dependence on external inputs, eliminates waste, and continuously rebuilds the organic matter content of our soils. It is slow, careful work — but the results are measurable and lasting.
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